Her whole life, Hikari Hanazono has been consumed with the desire to win against her school rival, Kei Takishima--at anything. He always comes out on top no matter what he does, and Hikari is determined to do whatever it takes to beat this guy!

At age 6 Hikari lost to Kei in an impromptu wrestling match. Now, at 15, Hikari joins "Special A," a group of the top seven students at a private academy, for the opportunity to trounce the guy who made her suffer her first defeat. However, Kei's feelings towards Hikari are different.

Included are the following unrelated short stories:V.1 - Mikansei ChorusV. 11 - Shoku no Miyako

I first read this series when I was in school and loved it, but coming back to it again I found it funny in the early chapters and disappointing towards the end. The main character NEVER, Hikari sneaks out to meet another guy and is freakin shocked when Kei gets mad, honestly there should be a point where she is less dense, this isn't a Sazae-san format so there really should be some growth. Also Hikari is supposed to be strong and independent, a woman that Kei recognized as his rival, but she becomes a train wreck EVERY time he is even a little bit mean to her, and apparently her strength counts for nothing because Kei is always saying crap like "you're a girl, you can't do anything." Honestly...

I love Maki Minami's short stories, but no matter how many times I try to get into SA (manga, anime) I just find it so mind numbingly boring that I can't get through it. Maybe I'm just a short story kinda gal...

A wonderfully enjoyable and light read, though it is a bit long - but not tedious. It's a delightful read and the male lead is truly admirable for waiting for the girl a whole ten years without forcing it (unlike in Kaichou wa Maid-sama...) Read it for the comedy and amusing plot.

I love anything where the main leads are either enemies, rivals or just don't get along well. Typical, I know but such romances can be so cute! (I read this awhile back so my memory might be fuzzy)

Characters ★★★The side-characters are great. Just that the mains. Oh God the mains. This mangaka deserves an award for being able to make you go to edge and just... Hikari is so unbelievably dense. It's insane.

Story ★★★It was okay but I think it should've been shorter. There were unnecessary things and it felt stretched.

Art ★★★I like her particular art style especially the eyes for some reason but the characters can look a little bit lanky.

I think if you're like me, wanting to find a romance involving rivalry that's cute. Go find something shorter because the female lead will seriously piss you off. However, it had its moments.

It was okay. Kei was a Gary Stu but it was bearable, Hikari is a Mary Sue and it was INTOLERABLE! Add the fact she was dense I bet she wouldn't be able to notice if Kei's became square-shaped or something. Her character was RIDICULOUS.On the other hand, I found Tadashi and Akira, Ryuu and Finn, Sakura and Jun, Yahiko (?) and Megumi cute. Their parts, no matter how filler-ish they were, were waaay more interesting than Kei and Hikari's story. Srsly.

This series was amazing and is part of the reason why I started to read manga in the first place. This was the first manga series that I ever read and was first introduced to the series by the anime (which was one of the first I had ever watched). Since I loved the series so much, I had to find out more about what happened to the characters. I read this series in 2008 and since then I have still not come across a series that is so endearing to me such as this one. Although I have read other manga that have characters with similar mentalities, Special A still takes the cake.

As the series progresses on, the character drawings become much better and the character development is satisfactory. What makes this series so fantastic is the pure affection Kei has for Hikari. Also, although some of the arcs seem typical of shoujo manga, don't be fooled. Hikari will always surprise you with her outgoing personality. Plus, most of the arcs are fairly unique and blend in perfectly with the circumstances. One of the best parts about the manga is that the ending is very well thought out. Often with long series, the author tends to make the endings feel sort of rushed, but I was so thankful to Minami Maki that she let the ending close with a subtle bang.

Of course, since this was my first manga, my opinion may be biased, but I honestly believe that everyone should read the first few chapters and give it try. Once you get to know the characters, you will see the sides of them that make Special A, well.... special.

This is totally my guilty pleasure read, as i cant objectively say this series is anything groundbreakingly amazing. What i find adorable is how devoted and truly guy loves a girl for such a long time. Other than that, SA is your typical cliche shoujo with a cute/strong but incredibly dense, and sometimes a bit annoying female lead, but hey, at least its better than a damsle in distress one.

Not amazed at the quality of this manga at all, but amazed that it could deceive so many. Special A is fuLL of flaws. The male lead isn't good looking (deal breaker right there), and to top off his poor looks, he doesn't even have a lovable personality. Who carEs if the female lead is "strong" anyways. Almost all female leads these days are. That's no reason to love it as fervently as so many seem to.